The Wooden Doors
by Slytherinchica08
Summary: James Potter is on his way to his last NEWT and reflects back on his time at Hogwarts and looks ahead to his future.


NEWT's, a time of great stress for the seventh year students at Hogwarts. It was a time when things seemed to come to a close and the future was uncertain. The last NEWT though was the most stressful because after that there was nothing else left but going home. James Potter found himself to be completely lost on the way to his last exam. Not lost in the sense of directions but mentally he was lost on what came next.

Hogwarts was his home away from home. He grew up in these very walls and learned many lessons along the way both ones for his magical ability and for life. Hogwarts also gave him his three best friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They were the best friends he could ever ask for and knew that they would always have his back no matter what; he would trust them all with his life.

A smile graced his lips as he thought of the many pranks that they had pulled during their seven years and the many detentions that they shared because of them. The first prank they had pulled had been on Severus Snape, a Slytherin boy who had greasy black hair and had the attention of Lily Evans who James had taken a fancy of the moment he saw her. It was because of this that they had decided to prank him. Their first prank had been during a rather cold November day when they charmed snowballs to pelt Snape repeatedly. It hadn't been much of a prank compared to some of their later stuff but it was still one of his favorites that they had done during their time at Hogwarts.

He remembered how they all became friends. James had been sitting with Sirius in a compartment on their way to Hogwarts for the first time when Remus walked in looking for a spot. Remus looked lost and was ready to turn out of the compartment when he realized that it was already taken, until Sirius spoke up and offered the spot next to him. It took a while to get Remus into the conversation but when they did they found that they all had a lot in common. It wasn't until dinner that night that they had met Peter and he seemed to fit well with the three boys so they became a group of four friends eager to prove their worth but wanting to have fun with it.

James saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye which instantly made him think of Lily Evans, the one girl he waited many years to have. She was a firecracker, very intense in everything she does. When she hates you, she really hates you, but when she loves you, man, does she love you. He had finally gotten her to agree to a date earlier this year and while the date had been a slight disaster (knocking over drinks and hitting heads), she had had fun and enjoyed seeing the nervous side of him and agreed to a second date (which went much better then the first). They would soon be celebrating their 4th month of dating and to James it had been the best four months of his life. He really couldn't remember being happier then he was now.

As he neared the Great Hall his nerves kicked up a notch, as he became that much closer to the ending of his Hogwarts career. All that was left ahead of him was uncertain and that scared him. He was sure that he would remain friends with Sirius, Remus, and Peter but how close would they be in the real world? Would they have time to hang out like they did in Hogwarts or would they only see each other in passing?

He hoped that there was a spot for Lily in his future as well and that their romance wouldn't just be confined to the halls of Hogwarts. James could see himself on his knee in front of Lily proposing to her and while the thought scared him it also excited him. And children. He wanted two, maybe three. He could see them now, with his black hair and Lily's green eyes, but more then anything he wanted a daughter who looked exactly like Lily with her fiery red hair and big green eyes.

The door to the Great Hall was before him. James stared at the door for a few moments not wanting to come to terms with what laid before him. He let out a long sigh and mentally prepared himself for his final exam and for the representation that opening the door had to him. Because once he opened that door he would be beginning the ending of his time at Hogwarts. There was nothing left for him to do after this.

'Well here's to the end of school and to a new beginning,' He thought as he pushed open the wooden doors.

AN: This one-shot was written for the house cup at HPFF.


End file.
